Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Youth hacked to death in city

Staff Reporter

Yet another incident of gangland violence

Sreekumar was hacked to death on Monday night.

Thiruvananthapuram: In yet another incident of gangland violence, a 35-year-old man was hacked to death by an armed group near Sasthamangalam late on Monday night. The police identified the deceased as Sreekumar alias "Thampan" of Maruthankuzhy.

Circle Inspector, Museum, T. Madhusoodhanan said the murder was the highpoint of a running feud between two gangs engaged by private financing companies for recovering mortgaged vehicles from car loan defaulters.

He said the police were investigating a gang headed by one Vineesh (30) of Althara junction in connection with the murder.

The official said Sreekumar was accused in some cases, including simple assault, in Museum police station. He said Sreekumar was on the payroll of a private car financing company.

According to the police, Sreekumar arrived at a bar hotel in Sasthamangalam along with one Shibu around 10.30 p.m. on Saturday. The duo spend some time drinking with a four-member group at the hotel.

Around 11 p.m., a fight broke out between Sreekumar and the four-member gang. Shibu fled from the scene.

The police said the gang members attacked Sreekumar with sharp-edged weapons. He tried to escape by scaling the rear wall of the bar hotel compound.

However, the gang members chased him and pressed home their attack, the police said.

The CI said that the cause of death was a fatal wound inflicted on the head with a large stone. Sreekumar was found dead in Panicker's Lane, a residential colony behind the bar hotel.

The body was removed from the spot after police inquest on Tuesday morning.

The murder has caused a sense of insecurity among citizens in Vellayambalam, Sasthamangalam, Jawahar Nagar and Panicker's Lane areas. This is the third gangland murder in the district in the past two months.

The last two were the killings of "Mota" Ani near Karamana and "Changidi" Vinod in Kazhakuttam. The police were yet to arrest the main accused in both the cases.

Assistant Commissioner E. Sherifudeen said efforts were on the arrest the accused. He said patrolling had been intensified in the area and the police were keeping a tab on criminal elements.

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